Bad DayGood Love
by chunkeymonkey
Summary: Chlarky one shot set at the DP with a surprise character who is supposed to show up in season 6. Do not read if you do not wish to be spoiled about who the character is. Enjoy!


Chloe wound herself through the maze of desks in the basement office, working her way towards her own. The room was crowded and noisy; people were swarming back and forth as the steady sound of ringing phones filled the air. She clutched her coffee cup tightly as she jumped back to avoid a man who dashed past her screaming into his cell phone.

"No! He told me I _could_ quote him on that. What? That's bull!"

Chloe watched as he threw open the office door and stormed out into the hall; mornings at The Planet were often hectic and scenes like this were nothing new to her. In fact, she rather liked it, the frantic pace and the buzz she felt in the room. Even if it was only the basement, she still could feel the electricity this place had, and she thrived on it. As she finally made it to her desk, a woman in a bright yellow blazer spotted Chloe from across the room and made a beeline for her.

"Miss Sullivan!" She chirped, waving a stack of papers in the air. "I'm glad you're here." She caught up with her and thrust the papers under her nose. "These are for you my dear. They just came in through the fax."

"Thanks." Chloe said, grabbing the papers and pulling out her chair. "I contacted the school board to fax me this information over a week ago." Her eyes scanned the paper and the woman raised her eyebrow with interest.

"Hmm, cooking up a big story are we, Miss Sullivan?"

Chloe shook her head, tossing the papers onto her already messy desk. "I wish. No I have to write some fluff piece about how Kansas public schools are revamping their school lunch programs. Ya know, trying to make them healthier."

"Aaah, I see. Well if I know you, you will find an explosive expose in there somewhere." The woman winked and Chloe laughed in return.

"Yes. I can smell tator tot scandal brewing."

The woman chuckled as she continued on her way.

Chloe sat down at her desk and turned on her computer; as she waited for it to boot up her eyes wandered over to the copy room where she saw a familiar farm boy pacing back and forth. She took one long sip of her coffee and got up to see what the problem was. "Hey Clark, hows everything going?" She asked cautiously as she poked her head in the door.

"It's, it's, _everything_" He grumbled, running his fingers through his hair and stalking back and forth, his Daily Planet badge swinging wildly. "First off I had to take a cold shower because Lois used up all the hot water. Then the internship supervisor had me get her coffee, which I promptly spilled all over her when a messenger knocked right into me, and then the janitor yelled at me for stepping on his waxed floor."

"Jerry _yelled_ at you?" Chloe said, stifling a laugh. She found it highly amusing that Clark would be intimidated by an elderly janitor who was not even half Clark's size. "Well that's, umm, good. It means he likes you." She gave Clark an encouraging smile, knowing full well that Jerry _never_ yelled at anyone.

Clark looked at her doubtfully and continued on. "And now this." He gestured to the copy machine with a handful of papers; a red light was blinking under the display which read _Error. Please retry._

Chloe looked back and forth from the copy machine to Clark who was not leaning up against the wall, looking frustrated. "That's _it?"_ She said skeptically. She found it hard to believe that Clark was having a meltdown over so little. He shot her an exasperated look and Chloe could not hold back her laughter any longer. "Sorry Clark. I don't mean to laugh, but you could probably throw the copier thirty feet, yet you can't get it to work?" He shot her another annoyed look and Chloe walked over to him, grabbing him by the sleeve. "Hey, I'm just kidding. Actually this one here gives us a lot of problems, that's why I like to use the one on the first floor. Sometimes you hafta do this." She ran her hand along the side of the machine. "Ya hafta hit it right here." She paused and then slammed the side of her hand into it. The red light stopped blinking and it began to shoot out copied papers into the slot. "Just like Fonzie." She quipped and Clark stared back at her with admiration.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now will you tell me what's _really_ going on?" She eyed him suspiciously, watching for any hint of what was really making him so irritable. Clark wasn't normally the type of person to let little everyday annoyances get to him.

"I told you."

"Yeah I know what you _told_ me. Now I want to know the truth."

"Chloe," He cut her off, waving the papers in front of his face. "It's just me, having a bad day that's all." His sounded adamant and she decided to let it go. She figured whenever he was ready to tell her the truth, he would—on his own time.

"Well then, I hope your day gets better, and trust me it will. I better get back to work." She made a move for the door when she heard series of taps on the window and looked up to see Jimmy Olsen smiling at her through the glass, waving. Chloe smiled back and Jimmy poked his head in through the door.

"Hey Chloe, I was just looking for you." He stepped halfway into the room and immediately noticed that she wasn't alone. "Oh, hey CK. How's it going?"

"Uh, just great Jimmy." Clark attempted a smile and quickly looked the other way.

Chloe could not help but be bothered by the way Clark acted towards Jimmy. Clark had confessed that he thought he was a nice guy, but whenever he was around he acted distant and agitated, as if Jimmy was an annoying younger brother. Chloe knew exactly why Clark was so indifferent towards him. He was jealous. The whole situation had started a few weeks back, when through a twist of fate Clark began his internship the same day a new employee showed up at Chloe's desk.

"_Don't I know you?" _Chloe heard a familiar voice behind her as she sat at her desk, typing up a story she was working on. She turned her head to see Jimmy standing above her, camera in hand.

"_Jimmy?" _He nodded and she caught site of his trademark bowtie peeking out from underneath his collar. "_In the flesh! Chloe I, I never thought I would ever see you again."_

"_I, I uh.." _

The last time she had seen Jimmy Olsen was about two years ago. She had met him during a summer stint at The Planet during high school. They were partnered up to do a story about a local museum and Chloe instantly developed a crush on him. He was slightly older and very different from any boy she had ever met before. He was a little nerdy, but cute in an offbeat way. He was a breath of fresh air, nothing at all like the one person she was trying desperately to get her mind off of--Clark. For a while they remained only friends, but one night after a long day at The Planet, she invited him to relax and see a movie with her. When the lights dimmed she felt him shyly reach for her hand and from that moment on they were inseparable. She was fascinated by his love of photography and he seemed enthralled by her passion for journalism.

Soon Clark was the furthest thing from her mind, and for the first time in a long time she felt truly happy. Thinking what she was feeling was love; she decided to take the next step with Jimmy. Chloe wanted Jimmy to be her first. But as soon as it was over she regretted it. Chloe knew her first time could have been a lot worse and was glad that it was with someone as sweet and caring as Jimmy, but it forced her to realize that she was not in love with him. She recognized that she was using Jimmy as a distraction, a way to get Clark off of her mind and out of her heart. But it failed miserably and she found herself thinking of Clark again, wishing that the special moment had happened with him instead. Finally admitting to herself that getting over him would be the hardest thing she would ever do. Chloe tried though, to stop thinking of Clark, telling herself she was a fool to let go of a nice boy who genuinely cared for her. But she found herself pulling further and further away from Jimmy, not returning his calls, canceling plans or avoiding him altogether.

Soon she broke it off with Jimmy and at the end of the summer they both went their separate ways, and she hadn't heard from him since. Until that day.

"_I didn't know you were still interning here." __Chloe said._

"_Yeah I just started today. I wasn't sure if I wanted to work for The Planet after I got a pretty good job offer from the Inquisitor, but I decided this was the place for me." _He smiled and his eyes searched hers intensely, making her quite uncomfortable. "_I am really glad to see you again Chloe. I know things ended kinda weird between us."_

At that exact moment Chloe caught sight of Clark approaching them, he was smiling and holding his Daily Planet badge in his hands. "_Chloe, I got the internship. Kahn was really impressed with the articles I submitted." _He announced with a wide smile as he started to pin his badge to his jacket.

"_That's wonderful Clark—although I'm not surprised. Congratulations."_

Chloe saw Jimmy extend his hand to him. "_Congratulations."_

"_Thanks"_ Clark replied, giving his hand a firm shake.

"_Name is Jimmy Olsen, Daily Planet photographer. Just wanted to say that any friend of Chloe's is a friend of mine._

"_Nice to meet you Jimmy. I'm Clark Kent."_

Chloe watched as they made they said their hellos, blissfully unaware of who the other was. She had never told Clark about Jimmy before and the last thing she wanted to do was make the most awkward introductions of her life. She prayed that Jimmy would wish him well and be on his way without another word, but he did no such thing.

"_Well I guess I should get going. I have a lot of stuff to do." _Jimmy said, glancing up at the clock on the wall. He paused for a second, suddenly looking determined. "_Chloe will you go out to dinner with me tonight?"_

Chloe felt her mouth drop open and Clark looked to catch her reaction. "_I..uh..I…"_ She stammered as she felt both Clark and Jimmy's eyes boring into her.

" _I know it's a little out of the blue. But in case I don't get the chance again, I just think we need to talk..."_

"_Sure Jimmy." _She kept her eyes forward; avoiding Clark's gaze.

"_Great!"_ He said eagerly. _"How about eight o'clock at that little Bistro around the corner?"_

Chloe nodded her head quickly.

"_Great!_" He said once more and turned around to leave. _"I'll see you later then. And I'll see you around CK!" _He waved goodbye and headed towards the elevator.

"_Did he just call me CK?"_

"_Yes he did." _Chloe looked up to see Clark giving her a puzzled look; she tried to ignore what had just happened and quickly changed the subject. "_So, what articles did you submit to Kahn?" _She started to flip through the large stack of files on her desk when she heard Clark interrupt her.

"_Chloe, I'm, I'm surprised..."_

"_At what?"_

"_That you would go out on a date with him. I mean he seems like a nice guy, but I didn't think he was your type."_

"_Because he's not tall, dark and alien?"_ She whispered with a hint of resentment in her voice.

Clark looked hurt. "_No that's not what I mean. I just...What did he mean when he said that he needed to talk to you? About what?"_

For a minute Chloe knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an onslaught of questions; usually it was her doing the asking. Now she knew why Clark would get so frustrated with her sometimes. "_Well, umm, we haven't seen each other in a long time and there is some unresolved stuff between us." _She replied abruptly, standing up and moving towards the fax machine with a handful of papers. Clark followed her and lightly grabbed her shoulder.

"_So you to know each other well then?"_

Chloe loaded a piece of paper into the fax and began to dial the number slowly, stalling for time. She wasn't exactly sure what all to tell him about her and Jimmy, but she figured she should at least be honest. "_Yeah. A few years ago we met during a summer internship and we sorta of had a thing."_

"_A thing?"_

"_Yeah we dated for a while, till I broke it off, and I haven't seen or heard from him till this exact moment."_

Clark looked troubled and trailed behind her as she walked back to her desk. "_How come you never told me about him before?"_

"_I dunno, it just didn't seem important."_

He perched himself on the corner of her desk and crossed his arms. "_I guess I am just surprised you would keep that from me is all."_

"_Oh like the way you kept stuff from me?"_

Clark shot her a look and pursed his lips.

"_Sorry. Listen we can talk about this later? I really should get to work on this article."_

Clark stood up and began to walk away; Chloe started to type on her keyboard when she saw him return. "_So do you still like him? Is that why you agreed to go out with him?"_

Chloe stopped typing and leaned back in her chair, looking up at him; he stood there like a pouting child. "_Clark I'm sorry I never told you about Jimmy. I just didn't think it was worth bringing up. And I agreed to go out with him to talk—that's all." _Chloe heard Clark scoff as he turned to walk away again. She jumped up from her seat, running up to him and stepping in his path. "_What is your problem?"_ She demanded.

"_I guess I am just surprised how quickly your feelings changed."_

"_Clark."_ Chloe began, her voice rising slightly. "_I just told you I am going out with him to talk. Besides even if I did like him, what would it matter? I kissed you and you told me you weren't ready yet, that you didn't want to jump into anything so soon. I put the ball in your court. You know how I feel about you, so if I want to go out with one or twenty men in the meantime it's my decision to make." _

Clark looked offended as she stood there, hands on hips. "_Fine."_ He retorted and brushed past her, his eyes narrowed in anger.

Chloe grumbled and made her way towards her desk. She did not want to hurt his feelings but was sick and tired of the merry go round. After they had kissed Clark admitted to her that he had felt something but was reluctant to jump into a relationship so soon after breaking up with Lana. Chloe agreed that maybe it was too soon, but she made it clear that her feelings were still the same and that if Clark wanted things to change between them that it was his move to make. She was frustrated that so soon after coming to such a mature understanding Clark was behaving like a jealous child. She had no time to deal with this, to deal with Clark wanting her enough to be jealous if she received any male attention yet not willing to actually be with her. And now, as she stood in the copy room, sandwiched in between the two, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Jimmy opened his mouth to speak when a woman appeared over his shoulder.

"Jimmy, Mr. Jamison would like to see you. _Now._"

He turned around as the woman gave him a severe look. "Well I guess I will catch up with you later then." He said sadly as he slipped out through the door and disappeared around the corner.

"So, I heard you finally went out on your date." Clark blurted out as the door slammed shut. He was shuffling the stack of papers in his hands; looking at them as if they were extremely fascinating, avoiding making eye contact with her.

"Yeah I did, last night." Chloe had planned to go out to dinner with Jimmy the day he asked her, but after her fight with Clark she was in a terrible mood and opted for a rain check. Finally, after weeks of putting it off, she met him for dinner at a small restaurant the night before.

"So how did it go?"

Instantly everything made sense, his bad mood and his irritability. He knew Chloe finally went on her date and he was once again reacting out of jealousy. "Well it was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah. Well it was actually quite a disaster." Chloe now had Clark's full attention and she could see him trying to suppress a smile.

"Sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"Well where should I begin? First off the restaurant lost our reservations so we had to wait forty five minutes to get a table." Chloe said, leaning up against the door frame. "Later on he told me he wanted me to call him _Jim_—instead of Jimmy—and well I pretty much laughed in his face. I didn't think he was serious. He was." She grimaced in embarrassment.

"I take it he isn't a Jim kinda guy?"

"No. Trust me Jimmy suits him much better." She laughed. "And it was just all kinds of akward."

"I bet it was." Clark said sympathetically.

"Hmm, you have no idea."

"What do you mean?"

Chloe wondered if she should go ahead and fill Clark in on the rest of the story; after a minute or two of internal debate she decided to put it all out there. "How can I say this? Jimmy is that _special_ person to me that Lana is to you. If you get what I mean." She shot him a look but Clark looked baffled. "Come on Clark" She continued. "Don't make me actually say it out loud." She stated to fidget nervously. "Okay, there is a first time for everything—_everything._ And Jimmy was there for one of those firsts. She shot him another look and this time Clark got the message loud and clear. His eyes grew wide and he looked more than a little surprised.

"Oh. Oh, I had no idea." His cheeks flushed a little as he searched for what to say next. "How, how come you never..."

"Told you? Maybe because it would have been extremely awkward, just like right now." Chloe laughed. "Awkward like the time I walked in on you with your parents after they found out about you and Lana." Clark gave her a small smile and Chloe continued. "It was so bad—he kept bringing it up—saying how special and wonderful it was for him and how he thought about it every day. Then he told me how he was still in love with me and wants to give it another try." Chloe paused as she saw the look of apprehension in his eyes.

"So, what did you tell him?"

"Well I told him that he is really sweet, and such a great guy..."

"Uh huh."

"But that I didn't feel the same. That I was in love with someone else."

"Oh."

"Yeah."Chloe looked out the window, back at everyone in the office who were busy at work. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed, fearing she was opening herself up to be hurt once again. "Maybe we should get back to work." She turned to see Clark moving closer to her.

"Chloe." He began, his voice serious. "You told me before that you put the ball in my court, and now I am ready to take that ball and make a basket. Ready to make a slam dunk."

Chloe cocked her head and gave him an odd look. "Clark I know you played football, but you are _horrible_ with sports metaphors. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"That I want to be with you. That seeing you with Jimmy made me realize that I don't want to lose you." He inched closer and put his hands on her waist.

"Clark if this is just you being jealous again then I don't want to deal with..."

"No, Chloe. Yes, I _was_ jealous, but mostly I was angry at myself for letting you slip through my fingers again. For being too afraid to take the next step, for not telling you that I am in love with you." He leaned in slowly and Chloe could feel his warm breath upon her skin. She closed her eyes and began to shake her head.

"Clark, you don't know how long I have wanted to hear you say that. I just wish I could believe it." She stood there trembling; terrified someone would burst in and ruin the moment. She felt his arms wrap around her waist tightly and she opened her eyes to see his face inches away from hers. He was staring at her intently, seemingly unaware that they were still at work and that anyone looking through the window could see them.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Believe it."

The next thing Chloe felt was Clark's mouth upon hers.


End file.
